This species is also sold under the vernacular names 'golden Chinese loach' and '12-banded Chinese loach'. Along with S. robusta it's the most commonly-traded member of the genus, and the two are often imported in mixed batches, presumably because they occur and are thus collected together in nature. Like most congeners it has a highly flexible, sinuous body which makes it very interesting to observe.

S. pulchra can be differentiated from…

Described from close to the city of Palembang, therefore presumably the Musi River basin, South Sumatra province, Sumatra, Indonesia, and since recorded from elsewhere on Sumatra plus the Malaysian state of Sarawak and Indonesian province West Kalimantan on Borneo.

F. rostratus was formerly classified as Haplochromis rostratus. When startled, it may bury itself in the substrate. It often displays its natural sand-sifting method of feeding in aquaria, and a substrate of sand is essential as gravel may injure the fish. In nature, it is only the largest dominant males that build nests, whilst the subdominant males and females shoal together. There also exists a feeding relationship between this species and Cyrtocara moorii in the wild, in which shoals of C. m…

May also be seen on sale under the trade names ‘Bala shark’ or ‘tricolor shark minnow’ and perhaps among the most commonly-encountered ornamental fish species. It is unfortunate that the vast majority of those traded are juveniles and tend to come supplied with little to no information provided regarding their potential size and requirements, a fairly ironic situation given the apparently precarious status of wild populations.

Also known as the Tanganyikan Clown, this is one of the so-called Tanganyikan goby cichlids. They occur only in the upper few feet of water around rocky shores, also known as the surge zone, where they scrape algae from the rocks with their specialised teeth. This habitat is typified by breaking waves and strong currents. They have a few adaptations allowing them to inhabit such an environment. The swim bladder is rendered useless to reduce their buoyancy. They also have a longand a laterally co…

This fish feeds in a similar way to Geophagus species in that it will sift sand through its gills to extract invertebrates and morsels hidden in the substrate. It was until recently classified in the genus Enatiopus and is still named as such in much of the available literature. There are slight geographical variations in colour but these are not major.
Interestingly, the shoals in which these fish live in nature appear to be fixed. That is, that an individual will remain in the same group for …

A rare species in the hobby, there is also another, as yet undescribed fish sometimes imported as E. descampsii but this is thought to be a distinct species. This one is currently known as Ectodus sp. "north", as it's found further up the lake than E. decampsii. It can be distinguished by its smaller adult size and the fact that the black spot on the dorsal is found towards the front whereas in E. descampsii it's found in the middle of the fin. Confusingly, E. sp. "north…

This species is also sold under the vernacular names 'golden Chinese loach' and '12-banded Chinese loach'. Along with S. pulchra it's the most commonly-traded member of the genus, and the two are often imported in mixed batches, presumably because they occur and are thus collected together in nature.

D. compressiceps is an ambush predator in nature, its laterally compressed shape and head-down hunting position allowing it to remain hidden among Vallisneria beds and making it tricky to spot in open water. It has a dark stripe running from the snout along the back to the tail which serves to provide further camouflage.

Despite its common name, it does not prey solely on the eyes of other species, preferring to hunt small fish (particularly juvenile Copadichromis sp.). It swallows these tai…

A gentle giant ideal for the larger community of Malawi cichlids, this species was formerly named Haplochromis moorii. It is occasionally referred to by the common name, "Humphead Mouthbrooder".

In nature, it exhibits an interesting feeding behaviour in which it will be attracted to clouds of sand thrown up by the activity of substrate-sifting species such as Fossorochromis rostratus or Taeniolethrinops praeorbitalis. Shoals of C. moorii will follow these species and feast on any mo…